Top Scholar Teaches Real World of Criminal Justice at A&M International

If active interaction with a seasoned criminal justice
scholar was what students at Texas A&M International
University were wishing to experience, criminal justice
professor Dr. Dean Champion is offering them such an
opportunity.

At Dr. Champion's undergraduate and graduate
classes, students not only get to ask questions of
one of the country's top criminal justice scholars,
but also learn directly from the author of many of
their textbooks.

A prolific author of 30 books on sociology and
criminal justice and more than 40 academic articles,
Champion has also incorporated a chapter with testimonials
from 20 of his students working in local law enforcement
agencies in his soon to be published book, Probation,
Parole and Community Corrections (Prentice Hall, 2002).

"I asked them if they could write a brief
summary of their careers and told them that if they
did that, I would feature them in my new book,"
Champion said with a smile, "They loved the chance
to do that."

Champion, who most recently taught at Minot
State University in Minot, ND, says he moved to Laredo
after a former Minot State University colleague who
is now a faculty member at A&M International, told
him about a teaching position at the University.

"At that point, I was interested in relocating,
so I applied for the position," he said.

In his office and at home, Champion's fingers
are constantly tapping on the keyboard, jotting down
notes and summarizing stories in newspaper articles
that could result in an idea for a new book.

A specialist in justice administration; corrections,
parole and probation, research methods, policing and
criminal justice, he is also busy planning for a trip
to Seoul, Korea in October. There, he will be one of
eight criminal justice scholars chosen world-wide to
present papers at a Korean Institute of Criminology
conference. His paper is titled, "The State of
Probation in the United States."

Champion, who has volunteered extensively as
an auxiliary deputy sheriff and jail guard while also
engaging in armed criminal hunts in Knox County, Tenn.,
said he uses his rich work experience to deliver lectures
that blend academics and the real world of criminal
justice.

He said the high concentration in his graduate
classes of students employed in local law enforcement
agencies also make learning a mutual experience.

"In other universities that I have taught,
almost all of the graduate students had no work experience.
Most of the time, students at A&M International
tend to be older and the graduate students are mostly
people who have worked before," he said. "In
a recent Administration of Justice class that I taught,
we discussed problems in different work settings and
students helped amplify the discussion."

Champion holds his Ph.D. in Sociology from Purdue
University and both Master of Arts and Bachelor of
Arts from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Besides Minot, he has also held faculty posts at Cal
State University-Long Beach, Calif. and the University
of Tennessee in Knoxville.

His most recent books include Police Misconduct
in America: A Source Book, Criminal Courts: Structure,
Process and Issues, The Juvenile Justice System: Delinquency,
Processing and the Law (3rd edition), and Corrections
in the United States: A Contemporary Perspective (3rd
edition). His forthcoming books include Administration
of Justice (2002) and Probation, Parole and Community
Corrections (4th edition, 2002).

He has served as president of the Midwestern
Criminal Justice Association; visiting scholar at the
National Center for Juvenile Justice; editor for the
Journal of Crime and Justice and editor for the Academy
of Criminal Justice Sciences/Anderson Publishing Company
Monograph Series, Issues in Crime and Justice.

For further information on Champion, please
contact the College of Arts and Humanities at 326-2460.
University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu